Eyes Gleamed Mean
by rwbyfics
Summary: High School AU.


The night was flickering with restless energy, glittering stars fretting as they hung above a dancing bonfire.

The sweet smell of embers and warm honeysuckle traced the breeze, lingering on hair and skin.

Clusters of people were surrounding the flames, their eyes glowing with stars.

The group around the fire was still; their body language relaxed, and besides a few murmured words, was silent.

They were a mixture of young men and women; close knit and quiet, brooding as the night progressed.

The girls entangled their limbs with the boys, conversational and casual.

In the glow that the fire cast, faces were illuminated, revealing strong chins and supple lips.

Two figures were linked together, one sprawled against the other. They were talking in hushed whispers, trading a cigarette between their pale hands.

The one who was sitting cross-legged was raven-haired, all of her locks pulled into a bun atop her head. Her companion was resting against her hip, and while the action was supposed to be intimate, it seemed sisterly between the two.

The one who was reclined had her golden blonde hair draped over her shoulder, and was taking a swift drag from her cigarette, letting practiced ringlets loose from her pursed lips.

One more drag, and it would be down to the filter, but the blonde handed it to the darker haired girl, their fingers brushing.

"Glyn." The raven-haired girl spoke after taking the last drag. The nickname rolled off of her tongue, curiously dark and sultry.

"Mm?" The blonde hummed in response, running her long fingers over her pale knobby knees, feeling the hard grooves of her kneecaps.

"Do you think we'll ever get out of here?" The girl with onyx hair asked, her voice somber and cautious.

"Don't talk like that, Cinder." The blonde snapped, her fingers tightening around her ankle.

The one named Cinder arched an eyebrow at her companion, her eyes narrowed. Cinder's eyes were golden, molten orange, with pitch pupils swimming in shining fire. They were fringed by a lush fan of lashes, and coated with black mascara. Her painted lips were set into a small frown.

The blonde's harsh scowl softened gently, and she ran a hand over Cinder's cheek.

"I'm sorry. Of course we will. Just... Not right now." The blonde rubbed Cinder's cheekbone with her thumb.

"You and me, right?" The blonde murmured, her hip digging into Cinder's.

Cinder gazed affectionately at the girl below her, who offered her apologies through the pure, friendly touches.

"You and me, Glynda." Cinder said softly.

"You and me."

Everyone in Vale thought that Cinder and Glynda was a couple. They were attached by the hip, and had a powerful connection that was beyond explanation.

Many whispered about Glynda Goodwitch, the orphan daughter of two prominent social members of Vale. No one really knew what the Goodwitches did, but whatever it was, it left Glynda an enormous inheritance.

Glynda had been seven years old when her parents had died, their airship disappearing without a trace. The child was left in the care of the house staff, which raised the petulant child with difficulties.

Glynda had changed when her parents had passed, turning the sweet girl into a disruptive, angry hellion. She grew up in the large Goodwitch Estate, where tutors traveled to educate her on maths and sciences she had no interests in.

The staff hoped and prayed that she would grow out of her phase, but time proved that Glynda was becoming more indignant.

Glynda blossomed in her age, and she began to learn how to pick her battles, choosing when to erupt in rage or bite her tongue and wait it out. When she asked to be sent to Vale High School the next autumn, her caretakers nearly wept for joy.

When Glynda entered Vale High School, heads turned and whispers were passed behind palms. The girl had been raised in recluse, and no one had seen her face since the newspaper headlines eight years ago.

The orphan had grown, her white blonde hair falling in loose ringlets around her waist. Her large pale green eyes were laden with thick layers of dark lashes, and she carried herself easily, her hips swaying like a lioness.

Glynda was dressed in black high waisted shorts, revealing her long lithe legs. Her white crop top clung to her ribcage, and she held her books to her side.

Glynda had attended her first, just to make an appearance, and skipped her second class, opting to stay in the courtyard. She was digging through her bag for a pack of cigarettes, feeling a headache throb at her temples.

As she scrounged in her bag, a girl sidled next to her, perching on the edge of the bench where Glynda sat.

Glynda whipped around, her eyes narrowed in a silent fury. The girl was like a bird, leaning forward as if she was about to take flight.

The girl next to her was extending a slim 120 to her, her fingers pale around the stark white stick. Glynda eyed the girl suspiciously, but gratefully took the cigarette, lighting it with trembling hands.

"Thank you." Glynda hummed, averting her eyes.

"Anytime." The girl said quietly, her words intimate and sensual.

"I'm Glynda Good —"

"I know who you are. Everyone here does." The girl said, her voice definitive and firm.

When she noticed Glynda's frown, the girl hummed.

"Cinder Fall."

The dark haired girl turned to Glynda, extending her ring-encrusted hand to the blonde.

Glynda shook it daintily, and finished off her cigarette.

The blonde quickly examined Cinder, who was voluptuous and had passion practically oozing from her curved hips and her ample chest.

Her glossy mane of onyx rippled around her in dark waves, disappearing into her skintight black pencil skirt. The black crop top that she wore was lined with crimson piping.

Her darkly painted lips left her cigarette stained at the base, and Cinder swept her hair over the gentle curve of her shoulder.

"You doing anything tonight?" Cinder asked casually, tucking her lighter down into her cleavage. She fixed her smoldering gaze on Glynda, sending a shiver down the blonde's spine.

"No." Glynda replied honestly, flicking her cigarette butt across the courtyard with an expert hand.

Instead of smirking like Glynda expected, Cinder pouted.

"You should meet my friends. We're all going to the park tonight." Cinder purred.

Glynda arched an eyebrow.

"Sure."

The two exchanged phone numbers, their conversation filled with soft huffs of laughter and confused smirks.

"I'll text you tonight, Glyn." Cinder said, adopting a new nickname for the girl.

Glynda nodded, tucking her phone back into her bag.

The rest of Glynda's classes were a bore, but when she drove home, there was a certain bubbling of excitement in her veins.

Glynda changed, slipping into a flowing black dress that trailed around her. When Cinder texted her, she put the last touches on her makeup, and headed to the park.

The Main Park was a dingy thing, remains of playground equipment in shambles, rusted around the edges and sprayed with nonsensical graffiti. A few benches and tables remained, splintered in areas, but still intact. There was a full view of Vale from the park, the city lights twinkling with man made stars.

When Glynda arrived, she found Cinder standing afar from her group, nursing a beer. Glynda opened her own bottle, and took a quick swig, letting the beer mingle with her bloodstream.

Cinder greeted her warmly, and she linked their arms together in a quick bond. Cinder was dressed in a sleek red dress that traced her ample curves with a generous hand.

The group that mingled at the park were individualistic, their hair tinged with myriads of colors. Some had metal embedded into their noses and ears, while others were sweet looking and dressed in pink.

They all had a beer in their hands and a cigarette tucked in their fingers. Cinder pointed out a few people, and Glynda nodded politely, watching as students on swings immersed themselves in conversation.

It was surreal, really, to watch young men and women on playground equipment meant for toddlers, drinking alcohol and smoking.

Cinder seated both of them on a park bench, pointing out a few of the constellations that smattered the sky.

Glynda felt the beer making her a little light headed, and was caught off guard when Cinder shot a random question into the comfortable silence.

"What are you looking for?"

Glynda turned to Cinder and furrowed her brows.

"What?"

"I mean, we're all looking for something." Cinder offered as a poor explanation.

Glynda hummed and pursed her lips.

"Peace."

When Cinder asked for no explanation, Glynda was grateful.

"You?" Glynda asked.

"I guess peace too, just in a different form. I want to meet someone. Someone who makes me feel excited and electric. Someone who makes me feel alive. I want someone who'll take me out of here." Cinder said quietly, running a hand through her shining hair.

"I'm sure you'll find someone in due time." Glynda said in response.

Cinder quirked an eyebrow and smiled offhandedly.

"Perhaps."

As Cinder and Glynda grew closer, their relationship was strengthened through drunkenly whispered secrets and wiping tears from watering eyes that threatened to overflow with grief.

Cinder was attached to Glynda, arms interlocked and hips bumping playfully against each other.

On one balmy summer night, Glynda was over at Cinder's house, lounging in her best friend's room with a bottle in hand. They had wisely chosen not to smoke inside, and instead opted for dipping into tipsy talking, letting their hazy words mingle in the air like heavy clouds.

"Remember when we first met?" Glynda asked, supine and facing the plaster of Cinder's ceiling. There were tiny cracks in the white paint, and Glynda squinted as she tried to count how many of them hid above her.

Cinder grunted in reply, biting at a bothersome hangnail as she perched on her windowsill. Glynda was reminded of when they first encountered each other, with Cinder's ribs spread like a bird in flight and her lips pursed.

"You asked me what I'm looking for." Glynda said, her voice grave.

"You said peace." Cinder replied, quickly spitting out the hangnail into her palm and chucking it out the open window.

"I did."

Cinder ran a hand down the grooves of her inky wavelets, as she often did when she contemplated.

"Sometimes, when I'm with you, and I'm talking about useless shit like this, and I'm almost drunk but not yet, I feel like I found it." Glynda mumbled, rolling onto her stomach and placing her head in her hands.

Cinder's pitch-black pupils flickered, wavering in their intense glow.

"I'm glad." Her voice was shaking, and Glynda had never seen her like this before.

"What's wrong?" Glynda murmured, rolling onto her back once more.

"It's nothing."

"I know that's not true." Glynda said softly.

There was silence.

Glynda understood.

"You're going to find your peace, Cinder." Glynda said, her voice certain and strong. "I know it."

Cinder stared at Glynda through watering eyes, and bit her lip.

"You and me, Glyn." Cinder said softly.

Glynda smiled shakily.

"You and me."

Glynda stood, and walked over to Cinder so she could wrap an arm around her friend's shoulders.

"You're gonna find your peace, alright?" Glynda whispered, repeating her words from before, bumping their heads together.

"Perhaps."

Perhaps soon turned into an absolute answer in a matter of months. A new student had arrived at Vale High, and Cinder had never been more enraptured by a person before. Roman Torchwick was suave and handsome, witty and sarcastic, almost unsettlingly so. The smirk on his lips was permanent, and a flash of teeth and the curl of his lip always accompanied his remarks.

Cinder was intoxicated with him.

Glynda adapted to the change of Cinder's divided attention, though the rations of her affection weren't always fair.

After school was over and the sun had set on the horizon, the seniors of Vale High would flock to the Main Park, carrying coolers and glasses, extra cigarettes and blankets.

It was a comfortable routine, one that Glynda had fallen into. There was something pleasing about doing nothing and everything at once.

Glynda was used to the wasting of hours, the feeling that youth was dripping off of her bones and into the dregs of her beer. She enjoyed it even, letting herself hover in a comfortable area of contented drunkenness.

Cinder was in the corner of the park with Roman, nuzzled against his side and muttering something against the jut of his jawline. Roman answered back, his smirk cut into his cheek by the beams of moonlight.

Glynda hummed. The group was restless tonight; it was seeping into her skin and making her skittish. She shivered, trying to shake off the odd feeling of anticipation, and rolled her shoulders back. White gold locks of hair tumbled along her shoulder blades, tracing the places where the bones stood tallest.

Someone was playing music now, the lyrics barely heard over the chatter of friends and clinks of bottles. Glynda hummed along, letting her mind autopilot while she wove her way through the crowd.

She was going to speak to Cinder; it had been a while since they had talked alone. Cinder was constantly attached to Roman, linking their hands or wrapping an arm around his shoulder, peppering kisses on his earlobes and giggling when he returned the favor.

When Glynda reached the bench where they sat, she offered a small, terse smile, and waved.

"Glyn!" Cinder cried, outstretching her arms lazily when she saw her friend.

"Hey, Cinder." Glynda smiled, her features softening when she saw Cinder's familiar smile.

"Glynda." Roman drawled, reaching up to give a tip of his hat.

"Nice to see you, Roman." Glynda said curtly, lips pursed.

"Cinder, can I talk to you?" Glynda asked suddenly, cursing herself for the few drinks she had already consumed. Her mind was a bit foggy, and she didn't even know what there was to talk about with Cinder.

Cinder frowned slightly but nodded, untangling herself from Roman's side.

Cinder followed Glynda to a small tree, away from the clamor of the group.

"What's up?" Cinder asked, tucking her hand into the back pocket of her jeans.

Glynda willed herself to look at her best friend in the eye, but couldn't do it.

Cinder stepped forward when she saw Glynda look away.

"Hey. What's going on?"

"What the hell happened with us, Cinder?" Glynda asked, her voice worn around the edges and on the verge of cracking.

Maybe Glynda did know what she wanted to talk about after all.

Cinder stepped back as if Glynda had hurt her.

"_What?_"

Glynda wiped at her eyes with a harsh hand before scowling.

"You know what I mean."

"I don't think I do, Glynda." Cinder said, her voice toeing the line between aggression and decency.

Glynda scoffed.

"How long has it been since you've spoken to me? How long has it been since we've _actually_ talked? All we're doing these days is bullshitting our friendship." Glynda spat, crossing her arms over her chest defensively.

"I've been busy." Cinder said sharply, her voice dangerously close to anger.

"Too busy for _me_?" Glynda asked, and her voice was shredded to pieces by now.

"Roman and I are leaving." Cinder blurted, the words tumbling out of her mouth in an ungraceful heap.

Glynda stared blankly.

"What?"

"We're leaving. We're leaving this stupid town, and I swear we're never coming back." Cinder rambled, pressing the heels of her palms to her eyes.

"Cinder…" Glynda whispered. She was almost whimpering.

"What about you and me?"

Cinder stared at Glynda, so broken and torn up before her, and pressed her lips together.

"There is no you and I, Glyn. Not anymore." Cinder turned and left, leaving Glynda to the shadows that wrapped her in icy tendrils of grief.

That night, Glynda made her way to Cinder's house, wanting to make amends. She wasn't going to let Cinder leave without a proper explanation.

Roman's car was idling out front, hazards on and bags stuffed in the hatchback.

Glynda's throat went dry.

Glynda made her way to Cinder's front door, unsurprised that the door was flung open.

Glynda stepped in, pressing her feet gently against the hardwood.

"Hello?" She called.

In a rush, Roman and Cinder ran down the staircase, arms laden with suitcases and bags.

Glynda almost wept.

"Roman, I think that's the last of it." Cinder said, trying not to make eye contact with Glynda.

"Alright." Roman glanced at Glynda warily. "I'll be in the car."

The young man ambled out the door, leaving it slightly open behind him.

Before Cinder could speak, Glynda cut her off.

"This is really happening, huh?"

Cinder let out a shaky laugh.

"Y-Yeah."

There was silence, and Glynda stepped forward, pressing her hand to Cinder's cheek.

They stared at each other, eyes searching and wide.

Finally, Glynda spoke.

"Did you find your peace?" Her voice was gentle and quiet, barely able to be heard.

Cinder nodded and sniffed.

"Yeah. I did, Glyn."

Glynda smiled, tears dripping down her cheeks.

She leaned forward to hug Cinder one last time, and murmured in her ear.

"I'm happy for you."

They held each other for what felt like an eternity, and a demanding car horn startled them.

The two separated, and Glynda laughed.

"Go."

Cinder pressed a chaste kiss to Glynda's cheekbone, and walked out the door.

Glynda was alone once more.


End file.
